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KELLER’S WWE SMACKDOWN REPORT
DECEMBER 11, 2018
LAS VEGAS, NEV.
AIRED LIVE ON USA NETWORK
Announcers: Tom Phillips, Corey Graves, Byron Saxton
Tonight after WWE Smackdown, join me live with guest cohost Cameron Hawkins fromthye PWTorch East Coast Cast to break down the show with live callers, an on-site correspondent, and the mailbag.
•STREAM LIVE HERE STARTING WITHIN 5 MINUTE AFTER SMACKDOWN
•CALL: (347) 215-8558
•EMAIL COMMENTS/QUESTIONS: wadekellerpodcast@pwtorch.com
•SEARCH “WADE KELLER” TO DOWNLOAD THE SHOW A FEW HOURS AFTER SMACKDOWN
[HOUR ONE]
-The opened with a video package setting the stage for the show with hype for Charlotte vs. Asuka and Daniel Bryan vs. Mustafa Ali. They built anticipation for the Bryan-Ali match by having highlights of Ali highspots and Ali saying he has a chance to show the world what he’s all about. “All this and more tonight on Smackdown Live!”
(Keller’s Analysis: Tremendous show-opening video. It set the stage for the matches with exciting clips and even gave the underdog babyface Ali some time to introduce himself to non-205 Live viewers. But where is acknowledgment of Dynamite Kid’s death or the grandfather of Curtis Axel after whom he is named, longtime top AWA star Larry “The Axe” Hennig? Not tonight, not last night. Disappointing.)
-Bryan walked to the ring with his WWE Title belt around his waist. The announcers commented on a clip of Bryan’s attack on A.J. Styles last week on Smackdown. Bryan stood mid-ring as there were scattered boos directed at him and then a “No!” chant. He said last week he called all of the fans sheep, so this week he wanted to apologize. He said he wanted to apologize to the sheep, though. (Funny.) “They don’t deserve to be compared to you idiots,” he said. “They are not the ones mindlessly destroying the Earth with their endless consumption.” He said there is no such thing as a carbon hoof print. “So no, you are not sheep,” he said. “You are more like parasites.” Fans chanted “Daniel sucks!” (while others, perhaps, considered their consumption habits introspectively). He said they take and take and take and give nothing in return, especially in Las Vegas. He said the old Daniel Bryan is dead and the Yes Movement is dead. He said, just like any parasite, they’ve moved on to the next fickle field and they now reside on the couch in the house that A.J. Styles built (T-SHIRT IDEA ALERT). He said at TLC this Sunday, he will crush Styles’s dream of becoming WWE Champion again. He said at the end of the match, the WWE Champion will still be “The New” Daniel Bryan. He said stupidity is the deliberate cultivation of ignorance “and that’s pretty much Las Vegas.” Ali’s music interrupted.
Phillips said Ali is a standout performer on 205 Live. As Ali tried to introduce himself, Bryan interrupted. He told fans Ali is the heart of 205 Live and an incredible performer. He said they don’t need to have a match tonight, though. He said after this match, the fans won’t care because they’re too self-absorbed and xenophobic and concerned with their mindless consumption. He said the truth is, the fickle people don’t deserve to see them wrestle. “Fickle! Fickle! Fickle!” Ali asked what happened to him. He said Bryan inspired him and everyone on 205 Live because he was the guy who showed them an underdog can win with heart. He said the old Bryan would want to fight, and he wants a fight. Bryan asked what kind of car Ali drives. Ali asked what that has to do with anything, but he drives an SUV. (WRONG ANSWER!) Bryan said, “You are a small, small little man. Why would you need to ride in an SUV?” he said. Ali said his a wife and two children. Bryan slapped him and called him ignorant. He slapped him again. Ali fought back and head scissored Bryan and then dropkicked him to the floor. Then he leaped off the top rope with a flip splash. They cut to a break as Phillips said they wrestle next. [c]
(1) MUSTAFA ALI vs. DANIEL BRYAN
Bryan stomped away at Ali after the break and then worked over his leg. Saxton said he met Ali back in 2009 and actually carried his bags and Bryan inspired him that night to pursue a career in pro wrestling… I mean “sports entertainment.” (I guarantee Ali didn’t say he wanted to be “a sports entertainer like Daniel Bryan.”) Graves talked about what a win here would mean to Ali. Bryan then threw Ali into the ringpost. They went to a commercial, but stayed with the action on split screen. [c]
Bryan celebrated his advantage until Ali knocked him off balance on the top rope and then took him to the mat with a Spanish Fly. He crawled over and scored a two count. Bryan knocked Ali off the top rope seconds later, sending him crashing to ringside. He applied a Yes Lock inside the ring. Ali teased taping for a while, but held on and crawled to the bottom rope. When they returned to full screen, Ali grabbed the bottom rope to force a break. Bryan hung Ali upside down and roundkicked his body. Graves said this is what you get when you drive an SUV. Bryan charged in the corner, but Ali moved and took over again, landing a tornado DDT for a near fall. When he went for his inverted 450, the “054,” Bryan moved and then yanked his leg around the ringpost. Then he applied a heel hook back in the ring and got the tapout win. Afterward, Bryan attacked Ali at ringside.
WINNER: Bryan in 12:00.
(Keller’s Analysis: Good match and a fresh opponent for Bryan, which is important since there’s a short list of opponents for Bryan that wouldn’t feel either stale or premature. They didn’t acknowledge that 205 Live wrestlers are now eligible to wrestle on Smackdown or how that came about, though.)
-The announcers hyped the TLC line-up. They said Strowman might not make it, though, which means Corbin would win via forfeit and become permanent G.M. of Raw (and Raw’s ratings would be permanently at record-lows).
-The New Day made their ring entrance. Big E poured a platter of pancakes on fans in the front row. [c]
-Back live, the Usos and The Bar were in the ring with New Day. New Day introduced the segment and said they’ll become Smackdown Tag Team Champions again on Sunday at TLC. Big E said The Bar requested this rap battle, which means they’re up to something, but they better keep it clean. The Bar then did an Vanilla Ice impersonation with “Ice Ice Sheamy” as the key lyric. They dropped their mics. Graves said, “That was absolutely incredible, mind-blowing.” New Day pretended to be impressed. The Usos said they got cheated out of their last rap battle and looked over at New Day. They rhymed chalk (in reference to the shade of Sheamus’s skin) and mohawk. They interviewed Mr. Turnbuckle on displacing Cesaro’s teeth. The Bar eventually heard enough and charged, but the Usos cleared the ring of them quickly, then turned to New Day. The Bar returned and jumped all five babyfaces and cleared the ring of them. Then they held up their tag titles.
(Keller’s Analysis: The Usos got some good lines in at the expense of The Bar.)
-A backstage promo aired with Asuka who said she will grab the title and win at TLC, but tonight Charlotte will not be ready for Asuka. She closed with some Japanese.
-Graves plugged Rusev & Jeff Hardy vs. Samoa Joe & Shinsuke Nakamura. [c]
-They showed scenes of Las Vegas. Graves said he painted the town red last night. He asked Byron if he went to the puppet show at the hotel.
-The Miz stood in the ring with the “Best in the World” trophy. He said it’s Shane McMahon’s week to have custody of the Best in the World trophy, but he’s got something to say to him, “so please come on out, don’t make me beg.” When Shane didn’t reply, he said he will beg. He referenced John Snow from “Game of Thrones” and took a knee. “Best in the World” Shane McMahon danced out, patted his heart, slapped some hands, and entered the ring. (Is this a very very slow build toward a Shane heel turn after his over-the-top heelish celebration after using his privilege to insert himself into the World Cup tournament at CROWN JEWEL in SAUDI ARABIA?)
Shane asked what he’s doing in the ring with the trophy. “Are you doing okay?” he asked. Miz said it’s the only way he can get through to him. He said they could be so good together if he just gave them the chance. “I know you’re scared, I’m scared too,” he said. He said they owe it to each other to tag together. He said if they lose, they go their separate ways, and if they win, they would be the Best Tag Team in the World. Shane said it wasn’t really a tag match, it was during Miz TV. He said the trophy thing is getting a little weird. Miz said the trophy is about their potential. Miz said he’s never told anyone this and it won’t be easy, but he will show him. He called a referee to the ring. A ref ran out. Byron asked, “Why is a ref coming out?” Miz suggested they team together against Las Vegas’s finest, Chip & Chad, the Vegas Boys. The Vegas Boys (two no-name wrestlers) danced to the ring. The ref called for the bell. It rang. They attacked Shane from behind to jump-start the match.
(2) SHANE MCMAHON & THE MIZ vs. THE VEGAS BOYS
Shane took it to the two wrestlers with “punches in bunches,” as Graves called them. Then he landed a flying elbow to drop one of the jobbers. Next, he went for a move that was botched badly where he leaped over the guy and tried to take him down, but they weren’t on the same page. Yikes. He drove a knee into the guy’s head and then applied a leg triangle. The guy tapped out.
WINNER: Miz & Shane in 2:00.
(Keller’s Analysis: Frivolity and Awful Wrestling. This isn’t helping Miz or Shane, nor is it serving the fans. It’s amusing, but it’s diminishing Shane as an occasional special attraction and it’s defining Miz down lower than his potential.)
-The announcers hyped Asuka vs. Charlotte. [c]
-Backstage Paige told the ref she should fire him for randomly running to the ring to referee a match. The ref said Miz claimed she sanctioned it. The two no-names presented Paige with sheets of paper that said Miz promised them $5,000 each for their efforts. She ripped up the papers and told them to get out.
-Randy Orton made his ring entrance. He talked about facing Rey Mysterio in a chairs match Sunday at TLC. He was amazed Rey was okay with that. As he talked about his RKO, Rey hit him from behind with a chair a few times. Orton retreated. Rey held a chair in the air as his music played.
(Keller’s Analysis: Basic stuff. Short segment. Fine for what it was.)
-Backstage Kayla Braxton interviewed Becky Lynch about Charlotte vs. Asuka and whether it’s an advantage for her that they’re beating each other up. Becky said in her first match back Sunday, she has to test her face and her head against two opponents in a TLC match, “so no, Kayla, the advantage is not mine.” She said she loves fighting against the odds, though. She said she doesn’t care if it makes the doctors twitchy. She said she’ll be at ringside to watch tonight, though, and she’ll show the chaos that can result “when The Man comes around.”
The announcers hyped the tag match again. [c]
-Superstar Fact: Before becoming a WWE Superstar, Naomi starred as a dancer for hip-hop star Flo Rida and was a cheerleader for the Orlando Magic and released her first song “Dance All Night” in May 2014.
(Keller’s Analysis: These are more useful than when WWE used to have good cable ratings that they would brag about in that space.) [c]
(3) JEFF HARDY & RUSEV (w/Lana) vs. SAMOA JOE & SHINSUKE NAKAMURA
R-Truth and Carmella came out and did The Floss with a Seven Second Dance Break.
(Keller’s Analysis: Bryan should be complaining about the carbon footprint implications of flying R-Truth and Carmella across the country each week to do that and nothing more.)
Nakamura attacked a distracted Hardy from behind. Joe tagged in and continued the beatdown, throwing Hardy into the ringside barricade. They cut to an early break. [c]
They stayed with the action on split screen with Hardy continuing to take a beating from the heel duo. Hardy came back and landed a Whisper in the Wind on Joe. He hot-tagged Rusev next who took it to Nakamura with aggressive, hard-hitting offense. He landed a spin wheel kick and played to the crowd. Nakamura back-elbowed Rusev to slow him and then threw a kick, Rusev ducked and then landed his own kick. Joe broke up the subsequent cover. Hardy gave the interfering Joe a Twist of Fate and then a flying clothesline off the ring apron. Rusev took Nakamura down and went for an Accolade, but Nakamura slipped free and set up the Kinshasa, but Rusev countered with his Machka Kick for the win.
WINNERS: Rusev & Hardy in 8:00.
-Backstage Shane yelled at Miz for tricking the official into refereeing a match and paying off wrestlers to attack him. Miz said it worked because it helped Shane’s “kill or be killed McMahon instincts” kick in. Miz said he was never Best in the World until Shane came along. He offered a handshake. Shane walked away. Fans booed.
-Mixed Match Challenge soundbites aired. [c]
-A Lars Sullivan vignette aired. The graphic said, “Lars Sullivan is Lurking.” The announcers then talked about him arriving soon. Graves said he cannot wait. Phillips robotically said, “We’ll see if it is Raw or Smackdown Live, each one is lobbying for his services.” They hyped the Bryan-Styles match.
-Kayla interviewed Styles backstage, asking if he’s prepared to take his championship back at TLC. He said no one wants to beat the hell out of Bryan more than he does. He said he has to wait until Sunday, though. But on Sunday, he’ll be aggressive and do whatever it takes to get his title back.
-Asuka made her ring entrance. Saxton said this is the ultimate opportunity for Asuka to build momentum going into Sunday. [c]
-Kayla interviewed Charlotte. She had a heelish demeanor about her with a gaudy Vegas-style outfit. She said she knows what’s at stake on Sunday. She said she doesn’t break, she breaks undefeated streaks. She said at TLC, Asuka and Becky will bow down to the queen. “Wooo!”
(4) ASUKA vs. CHARLOTTE
Charlotte made her ring entrance. Then Becky Lynch made hers. The bell rang 42 minutes into the second hour. Asuka suplexed Charlotte onto the back of her head. Charlotte came back with a moonsault attempt, but Asuka lifted her knees and applied a sleeper. Charlotte stood and dropped back to escape. They cut to a break. [c]
Asuka applied an armbar after the break mid-ring. Charlotte came back with a figure-four a minute later. Charlotte rammed Asuka’s leg around the ringpost and then went for a pin, scoring a two count. When she went for another figure-four, Asuka surprised her with an inside cradle for a near fall. Charlotte chopped Asuka. Asuka fired back with kicks. Asuka countered a spear with double knees and a near fall. Asuka rallied until Charlotte connected with a spear for a near fall. They showed Becky watching at ringside, seeming unimpressed if not bored. Asuka countered a Charlotte moonsault into an Asuka Lock. Charlotte stood and then they both tumbled through the ropes to the floor. Charlotte grabbed a kendo stick from under the ring. (What was it doing RIGHT THERE?) She bashed Asuka with it and got DQ’d.
WINNER: Asuka via DQ in 16:00.
-Becky stood up and observed, then turned to walk away. Charlotte hit her with the kendo stick. Becky charged back and beat up Charlotte with the stick, then threw her into the ringside steps. Asuka then surprised Becky with a kick and threw her over the announce table. Asuka picked up the kendo stick and bashed Charlotte with it repeatedly. Graves said this Sunday it will all be legal. Asuka alternated hitting Becky and Charlotte. She stood on the desk and held the stick in the air.
(Keller’s Analysis: The match was good, but not electrifying. Asuka showed good fire at the end and rallied the crowd and made a statement about her intensity headed into Sunday.)
Tonight after WWE Smackdown, join me live with guest cohost Cameron Hawkins fromthye PWTorch East Coast Cast to break down the show with live callers, an on-site correspondent, and the mailbag.
•STREAM LIVE HERE STARTING WITHIN 5 MINUTE AFTER SMACKDOWN
•CALL: (347) 215-8558
•EMAIL COMMENTS/QUESTIONS: wadekellerpodcast@pwtorch.com
•SEARCH “WADE KELLER” TO DOWNLOAD THE SHOW A FEW HOURS AFTER SMACKDOWN
How long until the “WWE Universe” responds to Bryan’s “fickle” chant with “FECAL!”
Am I the only one who is beyond tired of The New Day?
At the very least, they should do a deal where Smackdown trades The New Day to RAW in exchange for The Revival. Just imagine how good the matches between The Bar and The Revival would be.